Samovar

Sipdown no. 32 of 2014 is the single serving sample of this one. (Wow, that was a lot of s’s in one sentence.)

I didn’t read the ingredients before I sniffed the packet just for fun. My first thought was “strawberry?” Then just as I was about to nod my head, I thought “blueberry?” So at that point I checked the packet and yes, both of those flavors are represented. As is (shudder) hibiscus.

The good news: after steeping I smelled mostly berry, almost no rooibos (yay) and just a little upswing of tart around the edges that is the hibiscus.

I was worried at first that the flavor would be too tart for me, but it isn’t. It’s actually sweeter than I expected. The berry flavor is pronounced, but not individuated. It’s rather like eating a slice of one of those pies that has several berry flavors in it.

And the rooibos? Excellent news for me. I barely taste it, except for a fleeting pass after the sip. As rooibos goes, Samovar’s is among the best I’ve tasted plain so even what I taste of it is fine.

Samovar’s descriptions are often a cornucopia of aromas and flavors that make me feel like a total novice. This is no exception. I get a mulled wine, natural punch but in the flavor rather than the aroma, and I can’t say I can identify the orange, apricot etc. Though I do taste a bit of something lemon like in the finish and there is an interesting little peppery kick in the aftertaste.

I would buy this. Yes, I would.

Sadly, it appears I am too late as I no longer see it available on the Samovar web site. It may still be part of the rooibos sampler, but it’s not clear that’s offered anymore either as the page I found that lists it says “out of stock.”

Ah well. Lesson learned.

Sipdown no. 27 for the year 2014 is my one serving sample of this.

At the risk of sounding all fan girly, is there ANYTHING Samovar can’t do? Though I don’t see myself buying a case of this, for the same reason I wouldn’t buy their plain rooibos or honeybush (also amazing as such things go) it’s pretty awesome for chamomile.

I have a love/not so much love (I can’t say hate because that’s such a strong word) relationship with chamomile.

I love the idea of chamomile. I think of it as the perfect, soothing drink for a stressed and uncomfortable soul. Okay, I admit that this idea comes from Beatrix Potter and I’ve had it since I was three. When Peter Rabbit’s mother gives him chamomile tea after he barely makes it away from Mr. McGregor, that’s love.

However, with some exceptions I usually don’t love the taste so much. Chamomile can taste like paper treated with some odd floral chemical to me, or like musty old hay smells.

In the sample packet this smells, astonishingly, like fresh baked bread with a touch of lemon. After steeping, there is more identifiable chamomile aroma, which is frankly the biggest downside of this herbal. They weren’t kidding about the liquor—it’s a fairly clear, slightly golden yellow.

The taste. There’s no sharpness like chamomile can sometimes have, no sourness that can sometimes sit heavily in my stomach after drinking chamomile based tisanes. There’s a lightness to it, and a sweetness to the finish that hangs around for the aftertaste. I don’t get apple notes in the sip, but in the aftertaste I taste what I think the Samovar description is referring to when it says Red Delicious. It’s a sort of crispness that’s reminiscent of the mouthfeel of Red Delicious apples along with a middle note of sweetness. The mouthfeel of the tisane itself is slick and soft, and just short of creamy. Not heavy like some chamomile blends.

If I was going to drink straight chamomile, this would be it. I’d never say never about ordering this, but it’s not a high priority as I sit here. Still, if your baby bunny has a rough day, this could taste like love.

Not much to say on this one but a decent yerba mate. Very earthy! The flavor seems to change with every sip. I’m not sure why there are white twigs in the leaves though… I’m not sure if that is part of the yerba mate but I thought yerba mate was just the green leaves. I waited a half hour to cool after boiling for this to steep for 3-4 minutes. It always seems like I’m sleepy after drinking yerba mate though! It doesn’t energize me like black tea. The second cup went for 4-5 minutes and was a bit astringent but nothing I can’t handle.. still good.

I got this on my way back to Boston from San Francisco, and frankly wasn’t impressed. It’s wayyyyyy too tart. Almost undrinkable. And no peach flavor that I could detect whatsoever.

A couple of teaspoons of sugar added to the pot helped a bit – at least made it palatable enough to swallow. :/

Try steeping the first infusion (1 tablespoon) for 30 seconds @ 190 degrees with the lid on. Then throw this infusion away – it can be a bit funky.

At this point the leaves should have unfurled and it should smell quite rank (I mean that in a good way!)

The next infusion go for 30 seconds more and it will taste pretty good.

The second infusion for 45 seconds gets much more complex, a hint of sweetness but very malty and smooth. If you like dark teas I think you will tend to like this more than others.

Very complex tea – you could experiment with brew times and the amount of leaves and spend a good few hours coming up with new flavor profiles. I come back to this one a lot.

I usually order the bottomless Russian Blend at Samovar tea houses in SF. They serve it out of a large samovar and I have it with milk and sugar. Smoky, strong and sweet. Great tea.

Backlog:

I believe Azzrian sent me this sampling. I had this one hot summer night, even though I’m only just logging about it now. Yeah, I’m still behind. I will get caught up eventually. It will just take forever.

I’m amazed at how even though I’ve tried many different Bai Mu Dan teas by many different tea companies … with each new experience, I can taste subtle differences. With this Bai Mu Dan, I noticed hints of chocolate toward the finish!

A nice, sun-roasted type of taste to this cup, sweet and nutty.

A really nice Bai Mu Dan!

So it’s chai weather, but I only ever want chai at night when it’s too late for Assams. This seemed to get ok reviews so I thought I’d try it. Steepster is the best because someone on the boards (I’m sorry I don’t remember who, ack!) mentioned their “lazy chai” using this: http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/bill-waddingtons-real-chai

and I just had to try it because while it might not be the greatest thing if it was halfway decent it would solve the eternal dilemma of wanting chai late at night when the kitchen’s all cleaned up and the last thing in the universe I feel like doing is heating milk in a pan. Just stick spices you like in condensed milk, pop in the fridge, and ta da, instant chai milk all week, just add to hot tea to taste. Yay! So. I put a bit of that stuff (I add anise because I love the stuff) in with this, and now I am a satisfied, lazy gal. You can definitely still smell and slightly taste the rooibos, but given how little effort this required I can’t complain.

Also got fantastic, uplifting news this afternoon about the cat. Someone got a hold of her original owner finally—not the boyfriend but the woman getting her PhD in Ohio—and she was stunned and horrified, is coming back around Thanksgiving and making plans to resolve things. Meanwhile the neighbors who told me this also said she gave them the cat’s vet info and they’re going to take her in sometime this week. So, fingers crossed, there IS a happy ending to this whole thing. I am so, so relieved. It’d been bothering me trying to figure out what the hell to do in December when we go out of town twice and it might be bitterly cold again, and that in turn reminded me while our set-up is working fine now it’s not tenable forever. So glad it looks like things are going to be ok. Slightly bittersweet—getting to know her this week has been funny; she’s much smarter than our two cats and also hella bossy and feisty on the edge of mean (tough, you know, to survive). Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea (har) but I stupidly relate (long backstory involving my origins, feeling abandoned and trying to be tough and always feeling alone, all that). I also learned today her name is Tina. I’ve been referring to her as “OK” (orange kitty, and jokingly like, “she’s just ok”). I’m glad this is happening now before I get too stupidly attached. Crossing my fingers she can be my fond memory, a little random connection in a strange world of ups and downs.

I had this tea at a dinner with the Samovar founder’s brother. It was brewed in a Japanese side handled pot with a high leaf to water ratio and low temp (160F?). The experience was like nothing I have ever had before. To say it was an intense and concentrated blast of savory (umami) would be an understatement.

That unique and concentrated umami flavor was mouth puckering without being bitter (thanks to the low water temp and short steep time). It gave me a new appreciation for green tea and a flavor to chase in every other green since. It was not a cup of tea to sip serenely, it was an intense and deeply gratifying experience. Nothing I have had since compares.

When I ordered, I ordered just off of the name. Blood Orange Pu-Erh. Was not expecting the ginger at all, which might be why I am quite so critical.

This tea ended up tasting like a Chai. Maybe I got the end of the can where all of the ginger had settled, but I could not taste any of the other ingredients.

I bought this in Rachel’s awesome sale — thanks again! I don’t really understand the dislike that others have for yerba mate… I happen to love it. I think it’s all in how it’s brewed though. I waited a while for the water to cool and steeped 2-3 minutes. The flavor is sweet and earthy and for some reason has a silky consistency. I also noticed pine before I read that in the description. I couldn’t tell ya what kukicha is (apparently twigs) but this is nice. There was a peppermint yerba mate sample in with the other Samovar samples (there are a few in one pouch), so this one has a peppermint flavor. Now the second steep was another story. I brewed it too hot and too long (just boiled, a few minutes) and the flavor was a little too tangy, bitter, astringent. The first cup was deliciousness. The second cup needed a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. I kind of already supposed that yerba mate should not be boiled, but I started thinking of what a caffeine kick black/yerba mate blends would be.
Future self, future reference: low temp, low time

Had another one of our chai outings with my coworkers today. This chai is so different than any other chai I’ve had. It’s really sweet. Makes me wonder how much sweetener they add, but it’s delicious! And peppery too! I was wondering today if anyone has bought this tea to make at home, and whether or not it tasted the same. Anyone?

One more awesome thing was that they are having a promotion, where a cup of tea to go is cheaper than usual! Nice!

I just HAD to compare this one to the laoshan village chai that I had yesterday and loved! So my coworker and I both picked up a hot cup this morning. It’s really different than the laoshan village chai, in that it’s more sweet. Not sure if that’s because of the fact that they sweeten it for you. It’s also not as earthy, but I think I love them both. Surprisingly, even though they are both chai, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Yay, for two good chai’s!

A couple of my coworkers and I frequent Samovar just for chai “to go.” We go there for fun and we go there to brighten our mood when we’re having a bad day. It is the best chai ever! I love how it is peppery, but still a little sweet. So, we went there today, and I had a good vent session and felt better afterwards!! What’s better than a chai with friends?!!

Goes well with Hendricks but probably have to cold brew it. Use minimal ice.

I received a black tea sampler from Samovar, and this Earl Grey sample was first up. I have had several very good teas from Samovar, and love Earl Grey, so I had high expectations since so many reviewers had listed this as one of their favorites. Unfortunately, I have to wonder what happened to my sample? It was bitter, nasty and tasted like perfume. No taste from the tea at all… and just a smell of alcohol and rotten oranges. As several of my other boxes of tea came covered in dust, I wonder if this sat so long in the warehouse that it went bad… Such a disappointment. :(

Turned on Pandora, Spa Suite radio. Nice. Warm the tetsubin. Light the tea light candle.

Measure the leaves, change mind about basket wanting to give leaves more room, get confused about which basket, drop tea all over counter beside salt pig, which for the first time I have ever seen has salt around it on the counter. Sob! Wash leaves, discard the ones closest to salt pig.

Steep. Read reviews and realize you have used too many leaves and for too long. Sob! Drink anyway, not bad, but a ittle astringent. Steep leaves again briefly and add to tetsubin. Burn fingers on lid. Cast iron is very hot. Replace lid. Cast iron is STILL VERY HOT. I refuse to be undone!

The tea had a wonderful floral aroma as I poured the first water on the leaves, and upon steeping smells very vegetal, like something we call tender greens here in the South. With the second short steep added to the pot now the astringency is somewhat abated. Very nice tea. Lovely floral upper note. I shall endeavor to enjoy every sip. It was hard won.

Thank you, Quiltguppy! Today is prep day for school starting and I was determined to enjoy a little peace before I begin!